The present invention relates to laryngoscopes, and specifically to flexible laryngoscopes which may be used to insert an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a patient who is unconscious and who is to be connected to a breathing apparatus.
In the course of surgical procedures, wherein the patient is to be placed under general anesthetic and connected to an artificial breathing mechanism, an endotracheal tube must be inserted through the patient's mouth, into the throat and ultimately into the patient's trachea. The insertion of the endotracheal tube is complicated by the induction of anesthesia, which generally involves some type of injection to render the patient unconscious. In such a state, a patient, who is generally placed on his or her back, will be in a paralyzed condition which, among other things, allows the patient's tongue to fall rearward into the oral cavity, thereby blocking the throat and rendering insertion of the endotracheal tube through the vocal cords, voice box and into the trachea quite difficult.
One technique for inserting the endotracheal tube is to use a rigid laryngoscope, which allows the anesthesiologist to raise the person's tongue, thereby exposing the vocal cords and voice box, and then to insert the endotracheal tube through the vocal cords. In some instances, it may be necessary to use some type of optical instrument to view the vocal cords, thereby to successfully guide the free or distal end of the endotracheal tube into the patient's trachea. As may be readily concluded by those skilled in the art, the use of the rigid laryngoscope in conjunction with currently available flexible laryngoscopes is extremely difficult because more than two hands are required for successful manipulation of the instruments.
An object of the invention is to provide a flexible laryngoscope which allows for one-handed manipulation and placement of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a patient.
Another object of invention is to provide a laryngoscope which allows viewing of the projected path of an associated endotracheal tube by an anesthesiologist.
A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible laryngoscope which directs a light source along the projected path of an endotracheal tube.